Fishing Report 05/06/2019

Beginning Tarpon Season Fishing Report

Tarpon season is here and in full swing! We have good numbers of fish moving through the area along the ocean and through the backcountry. We are having a lot of success with live bait and we are getting action on Hogy soft baits as well as on fly.

Sight fishing strings of tarpon on the beach is an incredible way to spend the day. The fish are traveling along the shore in strings and the opportunities present themselves in good numbers. Patience goes a long way here. These fish can be a little spooky and hard to feed; but when you make it happen it is awesome. A well placed fly presented in the correct manor can yield explosive results that end with holes in the ocean and big runs. If you prefer spinning gear, we can use artificial baits like Hogys and hard plugs.

We are also finding quite a few fish out back. These fish are laying up along the edges of flats or piled up in the channels. A live bait presented with the current can be very effective on channel fish. They stage up nose into the current waiting for the conveyor belt of current to bring an easy meal. Circle hooks are the method of choice for live bait.

The baby tarpon are also a potential target in the backcountry. While they aren’t as big, they are still loads of fun. These little guys love to jump and have big fights in their smaller bodies. They can easily be targeted on fly, or with spin gear.

Other targets this time of year include bonefish, barracudas, Permit, and sharks. Stalking bonefish and permit during the high sun of the mid day can be very productive this time of year. Casting plugs along channel edges can also produce barracudas. We have plenty of sharks around and after catching a few fish to use for bait, chumming them to the boat can be done.

Overall this is a great time of year that can be really fun out on the water. The tarpon fishing is going to keep getting better and the summertime patterns will also improve. The weather is improving and things are looking great.

There are still a few days open in May and June, but not many. Give me a call and we can get you out there.

Thanks for reading,

Capt Brian

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Fishing Report 02/26/2019

January/February Fishing Report

The fishing the last couple of months has been increasingly improving. The “winter” has been very mild and temperatures have been fairly steady for the majority of the last two months. With the exception of a few cold fronts moving through quickly the environment has been consistent and the fish become more predictable and responsive. With consistent temps, water temps have been hovering near 80 degrees which is a great temperature for most fish.

We had a chance to fish the Cuda Bowl the first week of February during Super Bowl Weekend. I got to fish with Cody Miller who is a great angler and incredible fly tier. The fishing was really good during the couple days leading up to the tournament as well as the first day of the tournament. There were plenty of fish out there and we had more than our share of chances. We stuck to throwing flies for the entire tournament and we able to turn in one fish at 41″ in length. There were 49 boats and 69 anglers participating in the tournament. Over two days, we all managed to catch over 9,200 inches of barracudas. While we weren’t able to capitalize on most of our opportunities, we had an incredible tournament and really enjoyed the time on the water. Congrats to all the winners and participants for a great showing. Also, big thanks to Loren Rea and co. for putting on an awesome tournament. We will be back next year.

Fishing in the Backcountry is producing great numbers of sea trout, pompano, large jack crevalles, snappers, barracudas, and sharks. We fish artificial lures primarily and regularly find multiple species on the same lure. The trout bite in particular has been the best we have seen in years.

Flats fishing is rolling into the spring time patterns with good numbers of bonefish around. These fish are a blast on fly or light spinning gear. This fishery will only get better as the year progresses. There are still plenty of big barracudas on the flats as well. These toothy guys make awesome runs and can come flying out of the water during the fight. There have been some large fish taken on artificial lures up to 20 lbs in the last few weeks.

Tarpon fishing is starting to pick up as well. The resident gulf fish are moving into the local cuts and areas we like to fish in decent numbers already. We are getting a wide range of sizes from 15 lbs up to 60lbs at this point. This warm water may speed up the migratory fish, but we haven’t seen them here just yet. Stalking tarpon on flats and channel edges with flies can produce a lot of excitement and a great challenge. We can also use live bait or other artificial lures on spinning tackle to get the job done.

Overall, it has been a great winter. Things are getting busier by the day and it’s shaping up to be a great year all around. Prime Tarpon dates are filling up, but there are still a few available. If you’ve never done any fishing in Key West, you should do yourself a favor and take the plunge. You won’t regret it.

Thanks for reading,

Capt. Brian

Posted by admin Fishing Reports